Technical Abstract:
Removal of the citrus canker organism, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv citri , from the surfaces of packinglines is just as important an issue facing the citrus fresh fruit packers as removing the bacteria from the fruit surfaces. Current allowable washes and rinses do not adequately clean the lines and fruit of bacterial cells. An integration of methods to clean the fruit preharvest and post harvest is needed to achieve the necessary levels of reduction on bacterial contamination. Preliminary studies in our pilot packing line of cleaning methods for lines with brushes have shown some promise in reducing bacterial counts from fruit surfaces. We are studying the effects of these sanitizers on the removal of the bacteria from brushes and will discuss these results. Alkaline washes and disinfectants for the organic market will also be mentioned Preliminary studies using natural compounds as antimicrobials for use with this organism will be described.